


Partner-Swapping

by SinfulByte (Bytes)



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Body Swap AU, M/M, Masturbation, Nude Photos, most of it is plot except for 2 scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:48:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bytes/pseuds/SinfulByte
Summary: Fighting a new enemy brought with it surprises, whether it be new attacks or status effects. Yu and Yosuke find themselves afflicted with a new status effect that leaves them in each other’s bodies. When they don’t switch back after the battle, it becomes apparent they have their work cut out for them.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 7
Kudos: 182





	1. Status Effect

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this sitting around since like 2019, figure I’ll post it. This was inspired by a mini comic made by Hoodleehoo on Tumblr; I incorporated it into a scene in this fic! (https://yokaibytes.tumblr.com/post/624662322815877120/hoodleehoo-status-ailment-inspired-by-retro)

Each new dungeon that formed in the shadow world brought with it new shadows to fight. Those shadows had new attacks the Investigation Team had to learn how to fight against, some being much tougher than others. Being inflicted with confusion for the first time by an enemy shadow had been an experience, but Yu had quickly learned that a sedative could fix the problem easily.

This newest status ailment they had been inflicted with was even more mind boggling. The day had started out normal enough with Yosuke and Yu heading into the TV world for some training; the others had other obligations but the partner pair had not wanted to waste the day doing nothing, so TV world it was! That being said, they had originally stuck to the lower levels of the dungeon, but things had been going so well that they decided to be a little daring and explore. This led to the discovery of a new passageway and the eventual encounter with a new shadow.

It had all happened so fast. One moment Yosuke was casting a powerful wind attack at this creature, and the next there was a screech followed by a shadowy haze that engulfed the pair of persona users. There was dizziness followed by a dulling of the senses that finally ended in a temporary blackout of consciousness. 

When the haze finally cleared, Yosuke reached up a hand to rub his temple only to find the texture was… different. Used to his spiky but soft caramel hair that swept to the side to stay out of his eyes, he realized his hair hung in his eyes a bit and was much more conformed to his head. An unfamiliar weight in his right hand stole his attention almost immediately. Upon inspection he found a sword clutched in his hand instead of his dear kunai. “The hell?” he grunted, only to discover the voice that escaped his throat didn’t even sound like his!

That’s when he noticed his reflection in the blade. Silver hair, dark glasses, that damn popped collar… he looked like Yu! Glancing to his right where his partner should be, there was nothing. To his left, however… he was shocked to find that he himself was standing there, looking just as puzzled as he felt. “Yu..?” he questioned hesitantly. This felt like the time they had to face his shadow and another version of him stood before them, spouting Yosuke’s darkest thoughts.

“Yosuke..? Is that you?” his other self replied in question.

“Yeah, Partner. What the hell is going on?! You’re me!”

“It would seem we have switched bodies,” Yu stated as he looked down at his hands, trying to get used to the two kunai that replaced his usual katana.

“What?!” Yosuke squawked.

“No time to dwell, we need to defeat this shadow.”

“R-Right!” Though he was flustered, Yu still managed to steel himself in a situation like this. Yosuke admired that.

The battle was long and difficult due to having to fight with completely different weapons in completely different bodies, but the two managed to win. Their personas remained the same at least, being tied to their hearts and not their bodies. “Whew… we did it,” Yosuke sighed as he wiped away some sweat forming on his brow with the back of a hand.

“...We still seem to be in each other’s bodies,” Yu replied, sounding puzzled. And not like Yu.

Yosuke blinked before the realization hit him. “...Oh. Uh… what the hell do we do?”

“I… don’t know.”

“You don’t know?!”

“I thought once the battle was over, we would return to normal just like any other status condition we’ve had thus far. I don’t know what’s happening.”

“But you’re supposed to be the one who always knows what to do..!” Yosuke whined, feeling his face grow hot as panic started to set in.

“I don’t know any more than you do, or anyone else on the team for that matter.”

“Guh…” Yosuke grunted before leaning against the wall and sliding down it dramatically to sit, resting his, or rather  _ Yu’s _ head in his hands.

“...Let’s exit the dungeon for now. We might change back once we leave. Or we can at least have somewhere safe to think,” the leader of the investigation team suggested.

“Ngh.. alright.”

The trek back was full of awkward silence. Both boys were equally perplexed by the situation handed to them to the point of speechlessness. What could one even really say?

The silence did allow Yosuke to really take in how different it felt to have this body. Yu was more built and sturdy than he was, not like Kanji or anything, but packed with lean muscle. His hair tickled his eyes when he blinked and no amount of pushing it aside would keep it from immediately falling right back to where it was. He had broader shoulders with no familiar weight of headphones resting around his neck.

The familiar foggy yellow that surrounded their base of operations was a welcome sight— anything familiar was at this point, but exiting the dungeon had not relieved them of their predicament. Yu stood for a time, silent as he thought about what to do while Yosuke paced around nervously. After what seemed like forever, Yu finally let out a sigh and rolled his new body’s shoulders.

“Think of anything?” Yosuke asked hopefully.

“Nope.”

“Damn it!” the Magician moaned, throwing his head back and slumping his shoulders dramatically.

“I’m assuming you didn’t either?”

“Nope…”

“...We could try leaving the TV. Our status effects never transfer out of this place, we can’t even use our personas after all.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right! Let’s get the hell out of here, then!” Yosuke exclaimed, springing to life enthusiastically. 

“Agreed.”

“What the hell, dude! Why are we still in each other’s bodies?! W-We’re out of the TV, I don’t get it..!” came the panicked whine of Yu’s voice, which was now owned by Yosuke. It was honestly foreign hearing it so emotional, even though it was him speaking it!

Yu was silent as he looked over himself, staring hard at the hands that were now his while his partner panicked out loud.

“What are we gonna do??” he continued, whipping around to face Yu and grabbing his shoulder desperately. “A-Are we gonna be stuck like this forever?? What am I supposed to— wait— can I fix my hair..? That’s not how it’s supposed to look, ugh.” As if his panic was forgotten, Yosuke was now fixing his body’s messy hair that had gotten even more messy while fighting in the shadow world. Yu couldn’t help but give a slight smile at this, it was amusing seeing the total 180 he had done. And now he was so close, fretting over what was technically  _ his _ hair.

“Fix it yet?” Yu murmured after a few moments.

“It’s not cooperating.” But he surrendered, backing away with a huff. “It’s pretty trippy to see yourself from an outside perspective, isn’t it?”

“Mm.. I suppose so. I don’t look at myself all that often.” Yu’s gaze scanned over his body’s features, how Yosuke’s mannerisms had infused with them too. The way he held himself, his expressions… Yu knew them well. “I should get my hair trimmed soon.”

“I don’t know how you see past this helmet hair of yours every day!” Yosuke exclaimed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes to make a point. “You got some secret on your forehead or something?”

“Nope. That’s just how I wear it,” Yu mused, tilting his head as he listened to his friend’s ramblings. He knew he was trying to diffuse the situation and he was grateful for it.

“Well I guess if anyone can pull off a bowl cut, it’s you, partner.”

“You think so?”

“I know so! You’ve got a damn  _ idol _ crushing on you for crying out loud!” he replied with fake exasperation, throwing his hands up dramatically.

“I don’t really care how others think I look. But if you’re the one saying it, well… I’ll take it. Thanks, Yosuke,” Yu said with a shrug before adding, “for the record, I think your hair is nicer.”

“Guh..!” Yosuke grunted, feeling like an arrow had pierced through him. “You’re always saying the weirdest stuff, you know that? Geez..”

All Yu did in response was let out a small hum, which Yosuke had come to learn was his equivalent of a laugh. He was a tough guy to read, but once one got to know him like Yosuke did, noticing the minute changes in his face or tone became like second nature to him.

The chattering eventually gave way to the more pressing matter at hand: the whole body swap predicament. They both agreed that it would be best to keep this issue a secret from everyone else as not to scare or worry them and make them not want to enter the TV world. It was getting late— too late to go back in and see if they could figure things out. That would have to be a task for tomorrow. The only thing the pair really could do at the current moment was go home. But obviously it would be strange if ‘Yosuke’ showed up at the Dojima residence while ‘Yu’ went to the Hanamuras.

“...We’ll have to switch places for tonight, I think,” Yu suggested.

“I guess so… but uh, partner, isn’t it going to be real obvious? Nanako will definitely know ‘you’ aren’t acting normal.”

“She is a very smart girl,” Yu agreed. “Just tell her you aren’t feeling well and are retiring early. But promise her you’ll spend time with her later so she isn’t sad.” It was so very like him to worry about others before himself, especially Nanako. Besides, it was very likely one wouldn’t live to tell the tale if they upset her. Yosuke nodded feverishly and assured he would make sure Nanako was alright, to which Yu softened his gaze.

“Alright… let's just get this night over with and figure this all out tomorrow. You know the deal with my house, Ted sleeps in the closet, Dad is usually out at Junes. Just go to bed early, you’re too well mannered to be me in a conversation.”

“I’d protest that remark, but… it would be rude of me to speak to your parents as if I knew them personally.”

“Point proven.”

After their discussion came to a close and a plan was finalized, the two made their way back from Junes and to their new homes. This was going to get interesting.


	2. Side: A Day In The Life Of Yosuke Hanamura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just gonna put it out there now: this fic is not that deep. It’s just a little self indulgent thing I wrote that is 75% because of horny motivations. I don’t wanna disappoint so I’m just warning you all to not expect too much out of me lmao

Yosuke kept his house key in his back pocket. Yu wished he would’ve told him that before he had gotten to the front door and stood there fumbling around for a moment. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as the lock clicked. Show time.

Pushing through the front door, Yu entered the house. He had only been to the Hanamura residence a few times, but he knew the basic layout of the place. “I’m home..!” he tentatively called as he switched out of his shoes. Did Yosuke do that? He just figured he did.

“Welcome back!” came the call of a woman’s voice from what was probably the kitchen. Presumably it was Yosuke’s mom. “Are you going to eat dinner?”

“I’m not feeling well, so I’m just gonna go to bed early tonight..!” Yu answered, trying his best to sound less formal.

“Okay, dear. You better have been out studying hard!”

“Of course! I was with Yu!”

Before the conversation could be continued any further, Yu made his escape upstairs and into Yosuke’s room. Of course, he was immediately bombarded by a familiar voice.

“Heeeeey Yosuke!” came the enthusiastic cry of Teddie. He whipped his head around just in time to see the bear in the process of bursting out of Yosuke’s closet. “Huh? Does my nose deceive me? You smell like Sensei…! Don’t tell me you two were scoring!” he gasped, clamping his hands against his cheeks in mock horror.

“What? N-No, no, we were just in the TV world together.”

“You even talk like him a little too… beary suspicious.”

What would Yosuke say in this situation? He’d probably berate the blonde, right? “Oh, shut it, bear,” he huffed in feigned annoyance.

“Now you sound more like yourself! Sensei is never mean to me like you are!” he whined as he flailed his arms dramatically.

“Right.. anyway, I’m gonna go shower. I’m beat.”

“But you gotta play with me!”

“Too tired tonight. Another time, Ted,” Yu murmured as he quickly made his exit before the bear could protest. He was sharp sometimes, nearly blowing his cover right off the bat the way he did. He very much cared for the bear, but how Yosuke managed to live with him and stay sane was a mystery. He was suddenly quite thankful for Nanako’s much calmer nature…

Well, he supposed he was taking a shower now. Where was Yosuke’s bathroom again..?

After some brief wandering, the bathroom was located. It was western styled with a shower; easy enough to figure out. The warm water would provide some relief to his aching body and allow him to think at the very least.

No amount of steam would clear his mind though. He didn’t know how to fix this, and Yosuke was depending on him. He was letting his partner down. Would they be stuck in each other’s bodies forever? Sure, he wanted to become closer to Yosuke, but this was not how he wanted it! For now, all he could do was take care of this body he was hopefully just borrowing.

“Yosuke’s body, huh…” Yu murmured to himself as his hands glided over the new territory that was his friend’s skin. Yosuke was more lithe than he, and quite flexible. He also couldn’t help but note the freckles that dotted the boy’s chest and shoulders, which he had only gotten to catch a glimpse of when he wore his v-necks in the summer.

He didn’t want to invade his privacy by gazing at his naked body, but he couldn’t help himself once he was out of the shower with a towel around his waist to protect the boy’s modesty. Sure, he’d seen him in a swimsuit before, but this was much more… intimate. The sight of a freshly showered Yosuke— even if it technically was him at the moment— made his chest tighten a little.

He only allowed himself such indulgence for a moment before turning away, letting out a sigh and shaking his head as he tried to cool off. The feelings he had for his partner were undeniable, but knowing he would never feel the same towards another boy kept his mouth shut and feelings hidden from everyone. There was no way he could let them get in the way of his friendship. The thought of losing Yosuke hurt too much for that.

Suddenly feeling tired, Yu finished toweling himself off before retiring for the evening. TV days always left him feeling tired, but his mind was extra exhausted. Even as he drifted off to sleep, his senses were filled with worried thoughts and the familiar scent of his Partner.

The sound of an alarm seemed to ring out almost immediately after Yu had shut his tired eyes. Letting out a groan, he sat up and quickly shut it off before it disturbed Teddie. His body ached in ways he wasn’t used to. Reaching up to rub his heavy eyes, Yu blindly reached out and grabbed Yosuke’s phone off of the nightstand.

The light of the screen stung his eyes for a moment as he flicked it open, but was soon forgotten upon discovering the new text notifications from ‘Partner’. That was Yosuke’s contact name for him, huh? He wondered what his thought process was for deeming Yu with his ‘Partner’ status, as it did insinuate… things. Perhaps he was just overthinking it though, it was endearing that Yosuke felt he was worthy of a special title.

**1:34 AM:**

_ >>i kno u r prbly sleeping but _

_ >>figured id giv u an update _

_ >>promised nanako youd play w her tmrw _

_ >>so lets get this figured out ASAP _

_ >>hope things went ok on ur end _

_ >>well, nite partner. See u tmrw_   
  


Yu couldn’t help but smile a little. He was glad Yosuke had appeased his cousin successfully. But also the gesture of texting him before he went to sleep to check up on him was appreciated. While Yosuke’s phone was in hand… a thought occurred to him.

What kind of things did Yosuke have on his phone? Perhaps it would provide Yu with some insight into his likes and help him be a better friend… right? That was the excuse he was going with, anyway. A glance at his photo album wasn’t criminal... 

At first it was stuff he’d expect out of him. Pictures of CD covers he probably wanted to get next time they went on sale, selfies in which Yu could tell he was trying super hard to look cool which earned an affectionate hum of a laugh. It was all fun and games until his eyes glossed over a particular photo that was nestled in amongst the selfies and pictures of notes from Yu: a dick pic. He nearly yelped in surprise, quickly covering his mouth to not wake Teddie as his face flushed hot with embarrassment. Why on earth he had taken the photo he couldn’t fathom, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

A mix of guilt and intrigue gnawed at him as he took in the details. One of Yosuke’s hands was hooked around the waistband of his pants and boxers, pulling them down just enough for his manhood to spring free. It was, well, nice. The way his hip bones created the perfect ‘V’ was a feast for the eyes too. If Yosuke found out he had seen this, he would probably keel over and die on the spot. Yu swallowed hard, backing out of the photo album and turning the phone off. He was certainly awake now, mind buzzing as he tried to calm himself down.


	3. Side: A Day In The Life Of Yu Narukami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains the most explicit of the mature content that will be featured in this fic (check tags). If that’s not your tea I’ll leave a tldr at the bottom. That being said, everything up to the part where Yosuke wakes up in the morning is sfw! :)

Walking the route to Yu’s home instead of his own was very strange. It wasn’t as if he’d never been there before, he had plenty of times, but the circumstances were completely different. He was _himself._

Arriving home, Nanako greeted him with endearing enthusiasm. “Welcome home Big Bro! How was your day?”

Yosuke smiled and placed a hand on her head affectionately. “Well… it was quite the day. How about you?”

“We found a frog at school today!”

“A frog, huh?”

“Yeah! I think it got lost and ended up in the classroom. All the other girls were too scared to go near it,” the little girl explained.

“So you weren’t, hm?” Yosuke questioned with a tilt of his head.

Nanako puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Nope! I picked him up and put him outside!”

“You’re quite brave, aren’t you? I bet that frog appreciates your help. Good work, Nanako.” Yosuke couldn’t help but ruffle her hair a little, eliciting a giggle from the young girl. He’d been an only child his entire life, though technically Teddie was like a younger brother to him now he supposed. But never a sister, especially a sweet little sister like Nanako.

“Hehe, I’m not scared of frogs or bugs! I’m brave, just like you!”

Yosuke’s heart throbbed. Like _him_? Well, technically she was talking about Yu, but it was so sweet that he had to fight back the grin that wanted to form on his face, as it wouldn’t be very in-character. “Like me? Oh no, you’re much more brave than me.”

“No way!”

“Yes way,” Yosuke chuckled, patting her head before dropping his hand.

“Do you wanna play a game tonight, Big Bro?” Nanako asked hopefully. Damn those puppy dog eyes of hers! But he could only put up this charade of being Yu for so long. He was way too expressive for it. As much as he wanted to say yes, he reluctantly declined which earned a sad look from Nanako, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. “Aww, okay…”

“H-Hey…” Yosuke stammered, kneeling down to be eye level with her. “I would, but I’m not feeling well tonight so I need to go to bed early so I don’t get sick. I promise I’ll play with you tomorrow, alright?”

“Promise…?”

“Mmhm. Pinkie promise.” Yosuke held up his pinky finger, which Nanako linked with hers after a moment.

“Okay!”

“How about I show you a quick magic trick, huh?”

“Yes please!” she chirped excitedly, immediately brightening up.

However, Yosuke only knew one magic trick. He needed a coin. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Yu’s wallet, hoping his friend carried change. Thankfully, he found a single five yen coin tucked away. “Here we go. Okay,” he exclaimed as he put the wallet back in his pocket, then held up the coin. “I can make this coin teleport. Pay attention, alright?”

“Okay!” Nanako chimed, nodding her head excitedly with big brown eyes trained on the coin.

Yosuke then closed his fist around the coin, pressing his other hand against it and blowing into it. In this quick movement, he transferred the coin to his free hand while Nanako’s attention was focused on his fist. He opened it up to reveal it was now empty, to which Nanako’s eyes grew wide.

“Big Bro! Where’d it go?”

“Hm.. let’s look around, shall we? My teleportation isn’t exact yet… hm…” He leaned in, putting on a show of looking in Nanako’s hair before reaching up with the hand the coin was now in and pretending to pull it from behind her ear. “Well! How’d it get there?”

Nanako squealed, her face lighting up with wonder. “You did it just like Yosuke, Big Bro! That’s so cool! Did he teach you it?”

Yosuke flushed, remembering he had done this trick for her before, but as himself. He blinked before letting out a soft hum. “Yeah, he did. I’ll have to have him teach it to you sometime.”

“Really? Yay!”

“Heheh… here.” Yosuke placed the coin in her hand. “You keep it. Ask Yosuke to show you how to do it next time he’s here.”

“Thanks, Big Bro!”

He smiled and stood up, giving her one last head pat before heading upstairs to what was now technically _his_ room.  
  


He bid his time for a while by working on Yu’s homework, then snooping around his room. He couldn’t seem to get tired for a while, his mind racing far too much. Checking the time, he was sure Yu was asleep by now. He always went to bed early after TV days. That didn’t stop Yosuke from texting him, however. The phone he held in his hands was not his own, but Yu’s.

_ >>i kno u r prbly sleeping but _

_ >>figured id giv u an update _

_ >>promised nanako youd play w her tmrw _

_ >>so lets get this figured out ASAP _

_ >>hope things went ok on ur end _

_ >>well, nite partner. See u tmrw _

Yosuke went to shut the phone, but curiosity caused him to hesitate. His mind was buzzing as he wondered what kind of secrets could be stashed away on it. A peek couldn’t hurt… right?

The first thing he did was look at his own contact out of curiosity. Everyone else was labeled formally so he figured his was too, but he was delightfully surprised to discover that his contact name was ‘ _Yosuke Hanamura (Partner)_ ’. That meant that at some point between their first meeting and now, Yu had gone back and specifically added the “Partner” part. And that made Yosuke’s chest tighten up and toes curl just thinking about that fact. He was embarrassed that it meant so much to him, but no one had to know that except him.

A brief skim of his recent text messages revealed nothing; they were all pretty standard. That left… photos?

There were some photos of delicious food he had cooked that made Yosuke’s mouth water. Other mundane things included photos of fish he had caught, paper cranes he had made, and a few photos of stray cats that frequented the riverbank. He sure was an interesting guy. Of course, he had a few photos of the investigation team as well. But there was a decent amount that just featured Yosuke. Thinking about it, Yu had taken a few photos with him on occasion, but some of these he did not know about at all. Like a picture of him laughing about something on the rooftop— must’ve been one of the times they ate lunch together, for example. It was kinda weird but also endearing? He certainly didn’t have photos like that of their other friends. The guy is friends with _the_ Risette for crying out loud, but he chooses to have pictures of him on his phone? That was… a lot to think about, actually. Suddenly feeling flustered, Yosuke set down the phone and curled up in Yu’s futon. Too much had happened today, he didn’t need another thing to occupy his already crowded mind.

Falling asleep without hearing the sound of Teddie snoring was a nice change. It was not nearly enough to rid him of the fact he felt like he had gotten hit by a truck when he awoke the next morning though. The ring of the unfamiliar alarm caused Yosuke to groan, rolling over and swatting at the clock until it shut up. Squinting at it, he saw it was… _5:30_ in the morning?! Good god, he knew Yu got up early but this was straight up masochistic. He rolled onto his back and sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. There was no way he’d be able to fall back asleep before he actually needed to get up, so he resigned himself to laying in there while his body caught up with his brain.

And caught up it did, as he was soon made embarrassingly aware of an issue that a lot of dudes faced in the morning. A certain pressure was straining against the grey sweatpants Yosuke had put on to sleep in. Normally this wasn’t much of an issue, it would either go away once he was more awake or he would crank one out to take care of it. But this wasn’t even _his_ dick! And the painful throb that he felt downstairs as his heart began to pound harder indicated it probably would not resolve itself on its own. Not when he was this flustered!

He took in a few deep breaths to try to calm himself down, but every shift of his body sent more sensations back to his head that only made it worse. He was hyper aware of the erection currently attached to him. Perhaps he could hide it until it died down? That, however, meant he had to assess the situation.

Yosuke swallowed hard before tentatively lifting the blanket that had been covering him, shining the phone’s light to see the damage. His head was left spinning as he saw the size of the tent Yu’s body was pitching, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. He was well endowed too? Just how lucky could one dude be? He himself was average sized, and while perhaps it bugged him a little, it was better than being small, right? But this was just no fair!

After some excruciating mental gymnastics, Yosuke finally reasoned to himself in his head that the easiest course of action would be to just take care of the problem and then pretend it never happened. It did not mean anything, and Yu would never know. Nope. He had fumbled around in the dark until he switched on a lamp, providing him with just enough light to fetch some needed materials. Namely, tissues and something to serve as a lubricant.

He was quite embarrassed to find that those things were in easy access, right in the drawer of the nightstand beside the bed. The thought of Yu engaging in such activities was baffling to his partner, but then again, he was human just like he was. Now the image of Yu pleasuring himself seeped into Yosuke’s mind, making him bite his lip. _Dammit brain, not now!_

But his pleas were futile, as he also reminded himself that this was Yu’s body he was in. _Yu’s_ hands, who have done things to _his—_ “agh..!” Yosuke hissed through his teeth, sitting back down on the bed. No more of this, he would just pretend he was in his own body. It was fine. Everything is fine.

Hesitantly snaking a hand under the hem of his sweatpants, he felt himself let out a hot breath when his fingers came into contact with the throbbing erection just barely being contained in its cloth confines. Yu’s hands were more calloused and rough as compared to his, no doubt from all the fighting he’s done in the TV world. He had to go on every excursion, after all. How he hadn’t worked himself to death was one of the world’s greatest mysteries.

Curling those foreign and yet familiar fingers around the base, Yosuke tenderly unveiled the member from his sweatpants. Even in the low light of the room, he could still see _everything_. “Damn…” he huffed. He knew this was a major invasion of his friend’s privacy, but he couldn’t help but stare. Objectively, he had a really nice dick. Jesus, Yosuke, focus!

He mechanically lubed up his hand before getting to work. He started off slow, mostly using his fingers to explore the new territory to see which places felt the best. It seemed that in Yu’s case, the underside of his shaft and the base of his head were the most sensitive. Noted. Wait, why was he noting this?? A rhythm was quickly established, gently squeezing at a curve when he stroked upward to create more friction at the tip where it felt extra nice.

Something about the fact that it wasn’t his body, that it was Yu’s body he was doing this to made it feel all the more toe-curling and wonderful. Perhaps it was the scandalous nature of it all? But because of this, the image of Yu was ever present in his mind while he stroked himself.

“Fuck, partner…” he breathed out in Yu’s voice. Oh man did that sound… good. Just the concept of the stoic leader unraveling under someone’s touch— _his_ touch was enough to have to make him stifle a whimper that threatened to leave his throat. He knew he shouldn’t be having these thoughts about another guy, especially his best friend, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself from melting into the scenario.

“Yosuke…” the boy breathed, just wanting to hear his own name in Yu’s low, smooth voice. It was too much for him to take, so he ended up climaxing, painting a few hot streaks of semen all over Yu’s perfect stomach.

_Holy shit_.

Yosuke only got to revel in his post-orgasm high for a few moments before his phone buzzed, nearly scaring him to death. Geez, another alarm? Of course Yu had multiple. He supposed he might as well get ready, there was no way he could go back to sleep now. He had a mess to take care of too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tldr for the nsfw bit: Yosuke beats his (Yu’s) meat and discovers something new about himself


	4. Just Partner Things

There was a lot on his mind when Yosuke headed to school thanks to his morning activities. In order to distract himself and hide from his thoughts like he had been doing for a while, he left Yu’s house quite early in hopes a walk would cool him off. Due to this, Yosuke arrived early for once. He nearly sat in his own seat out of habit, having to actively remind himself that he was Yu now. Did that mean the teacher was going to call on him a lot? His partner hardly ever got a question wrong, so if he messed up, it was going to look very weird. With that in mind, the day seemed to suddenly get a lot longer.

Snapping him from his thoughts was a greeting, “good morning Yu-kun,” from none other than Yukiko who had now arrived.

_ Right. That’s me. _ “Good morning. How are you?” Simple enough.

“I’ve been practicing that recipe you shared with me. I think I’m improving! You will have to taste it soon. I appreciate the help you’ve been giving me.”

He had no idea what she was talking about. Yu must have given her advice about cooking or something. “Not at all, I am glad to help,” he answered vaguely.

The idle chit chat did not last much longer, as Chie arrived and after a brief good morning, absorbed Yukiko in some conversation that Yosuke didn’t really care to listen to. Digging his cell phone out of his pocket, he flicked it open to see if he had any messages from Yu.

**7:01 AM:**

_ >>Teddie likes to talk in his sleep. _

_ >>And now you (I) have a shift at Junes after school. _

Of course. It was like a higher power was doing this on purpose. “Great…” Yosuke muttered under his breath.

“Great?” a familiar yet so foreign voice asked from his side. Yosuke snapped up to see himself, or rather, Yu standing there looking down at him inquisitively.

“Oh, there you are. Saw your texts about Junes,” Yosuke explained, holding up his phone. “That really throws a wrench in things.”

“I’ll say. Teddie nearly sniffed me out the moment I got back. And do not get me started on how informally I had to speak to your mother…” Yu explained quietly.

“Sounds like you had quite the night.”

“Mm.. yeah. But I did think about our situation.”

“Oh?”

“I think if we want to remedy this affliction, we’ll have to go back into the dungeon and fight the same enemy that did this to us in the first place. If we can get hit with that attack again… it’ll probably switch us back.”

“Probably..?”

“It’s only a theory. I can’t prove it until we try it.”

Right. Yu only knew as much about the TV world and its workings as the rest of the team did. It was easy to forget that sometimes. “Yeah, well… that’s the only lead we got so I’m down to try,” he affirmed with a nod.

“How long is your break during your afternoon shifts?”

“Uh… about half an hour? You really think we can make a whole trip to the TV world and back in that?”

“Yes. We know what we’re looking for, so we can avoid the other shadows.”

“Alright, partner. I’ll meet you there then.”

With plans determined, all they had to do now was survive until then. Then they could put the whole ordeal behind them and hell, maybe they’d grow even closer because of it.

School had passed pretty much without incident. As predicted, Yosuke had been called on a lot as Yu and had to be slipped the answers from the real one. It earned confused looks from the people around them, as usually it was the other way around. Lunch was fine too, though Yosuke had to turn down quite a few invitations to hang out with people after school. His partner sure was a popular guy. Considering how often they spent time together meant that Yu must be regularly turning down others in favor of himself. That realization made him weak in the knees. His partner wasn’t very vocal when it came to expressing himself and his feelings, so noticing the little things he did was always a warm feeling. Why the hell he’d choose to hang out with Yosuke above all the others, he couldn’t understand, but he sure wasn’t going to complain. Just another thing to weigh on his mind though. That damned Yu Narukami.

Yu was now off to his shift at Junes. Having stepped in to help out on numerous occasions, Yosuke wasn’t worried about him not being able to get the work done. This did leave him with some time to kill though.

That’s how Yosuke found himself at the riverbank, coaxing a cat to come eat some of his leftover lunch. Yu had mentioned how he fed the stray cats in the area, with a particular orange one being his favorite. He recalled seeing a few photos of it in the past. Usually any stray cats bolted as soon as Yosuke got too close, but this one actually approached him. He tossed it the food when it grew close, smiling when it mewed happily and began to eat. Perhaps he’d have to take over Yu’s job of feeding the cats after school once he returned to the city. Ah, right. He would be gone within a few months. That thought was heavy on his shoulders. He didn’t like the idea of an Inaba without Yu at all. That’s why he had to make the moments they did have count.

Eventually, Yosuke headed over to Junes when he figured Yu would probably get his break. He found him very intently organizing the produce in the grocery section.

“How’s the work coming along there, partner?” he greeted.

“Oh, Yosuke. I’ll be on my break soon.”

“I figured as much,” the Junes prince chuckled. “Why are you stacking the vegetables?”

“Someone knocked down the whole display so we had to replace everything.”

“Geez… glad I wasn’t there for that one. I would’ve been so pissed.”

“It was rather disheartening to see all that food go to waste. I did salvage what I could for myself. Some of them were okay, but your father didn’t want food that’s been on the ground to be sold. Now I have ingredients for stew.”

“At least it’s not being wasted, I guess.” If anyone could salvage a meal, it was Yu.

“Hanamura!” a voice called, causing them both to jump a little. Another employee walked up to them. “You’re on break. I’ll take over.”

“Alright.” Yu looked to Yosuke, who nodded. No words needed to be said. It was time to go to the TV world and end this predicament once and for all. They just had to do it quickly.

The familiar haze of yellow fog clouded the boys’ vision as they entered the TV. Putting on Teddie’s special glasses, Yosuke prepared his kunai for battle while Yu stood there, staring off into space. He was visiting something called the ‘velvet room’ from what he told Yosuke, explaining it was tied to his wild card ability. It was how he got all the personas he had. Though strange, he didn’t question it. Yu’s ability had proven itself essential in their battles time and time again.

The light eventually returned to his eyes as he reanimated, blinking and rolling his shoulders before readying his katana. “You good to go, partner?” Yosuke asked to which Yu nodded.

“They were quite surprised to see me in this state.”

“I don’t suppose they told you how we could fix it?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Ugh. Of course not,” he groaned, tossing his head back dramatically.

“Let’s go get this done.”

“Right.”

Retracing their steps through the dungeon wasn’t hard, but avoiding the shadows crawling throughout the seemingly endless maze of corridors was. It was like they were extra alert today. Thankfully the pair managed to evade most of them, only getting into a scuffle here and there before they made it back to the place where they’d encountered the strange shadow that caused their predicament.

Silver and hazel eyes scoured the area. It was way too quiet here Yosuke noted as he looked around nervously. That silence was quickly shattered as a piercing screech filled the air, making the hair on their necks stand up. Whipping around, they were greeted with the sight of a shadow like the one they had defeated the day prior. Except this one had a different aura about it.

“Shit, how’d it sneak up on us?!” Yosuke squawked as he held up his kunai. They had switched their weapons for better efficiency, but his familiar kunai still managed to feel somewhat foreign in Yu’s hands. Yu brandished his sword, brow furrowing as he switched into battle mode.

“...This one is much stronger than the one we fought before. Be careful.”

Before he could even reply to Yu’s warning, the shadow lunged forward for a physical attack. The boys scrambled, just barely managing to dodge it as it slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.

Yu was now the fast one. Yosuke had always been the first one to move, his agility unrivaled by anyone else on the team. Since that agility was now his, he had to get accustomed. Summoning forth one of his personas, he casted a chilling ice attack that left the monster reeling. Yosuke followed it up with one of his wind attacks, Jiraiya flickering to life above him and attacking the enemy with everything he had.

They couldn’t rely on their persona’s magic forever though. Elemental attacks were as draining as the shadow they were fighting was tenacious. “Geez..!” Yosuke hissed, too exhausted to call forth Jiraiya’s power any longer. It was now time to rely on their physical attacks. Charging forward, he readied his kunai for a slash attack on the shadow’s flank. An issue quickly became apparent: his efficiency with his weapons was dependent on his speed. He had to be able to quickly get in close to slash the enemy and get out before it could retaliate. Yu was in no means bad shape, but he was not nearly as fast, which is why a longer weapon like a sword suited him.

“Yosuke, watch out..!” Yu called as the shadow raised a limb, swinging it towards Yosuke. He was unable to dodge it in time, getting slammed and sent flying across the room.

“Guh..!” he wheezed as his body connected with the hard floor, leaving him dazed for a moment.

Yu furrowed his brows and charged at the monster in order to land a hit in while it was finishing the motion of swinging at Yosuke. He was faster than usual, so he caught up to it quickly. With a leap, he swung his sword as hard as he could, slashing at the beast. The blow connected, but did not do nearly as much damage as it should have. Yosuke’s body did not have the weight needed to bring down the blade hard enough to do real damage. Gritting his teeth, he jumped back in order to get out of the monster’s reach. This wasn’t good. They couldn’t fight like this.

“We need to change our strategy,” Yu affirmed as he helped pull Yosuke to his feet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… hard to fight in a body that isn’t yours,” Yosuke groaned as he tried to shake off the pain of that direct hit.

“Let’s switch weapons. We’ll have to fight like each other if we want to win.”

“But I don’t know how to use a sword, dude..!” Yosuke exclaimed.

“Perhaps not. But my body does. Just as yours is trained for your weapon.”

Yosuke looked like he wanted to protest, but he trusted Yu with his life as did the others. Offering up his kunai, they swapped weapons. The sword did feel more natural in his hands. Yu’s hands were calloused from the constant battling and training, muscles trained perfectly to hold the handle most effectively.

Looking up, he met Yu’s gaze before nodding with renowned determination. “Let’s do it, Partner.”

With weapons swapped, the pair were able to start doing more damage. Though the lack of experience was evident, Yu was able to use Yosuke’s speed for quick lunges of his kunai while Yosuke could use his broad power for getting in heavier hits.

The shadow was growing more agitated and desperate as the battle waned on. Now that the pair were making headway, the tides of battle seemed to totally flip. With a howl, their foe emitted a fog akin to that of the time before.

“This is it..!” Yosuke shouted, holding out his arms and not trying at all to dodge the attack.

“I hope this works…” Yu started before they were engulfed in a sea of haze. A similar sensation overcame them, with their minds and senses becoming hazy until they completely blacked out.    
  


When Yosuke opened his eyes, he sluggishly patted himself up and down to see if the effects of their body swapping had been reversed. Sure enough, he felt the familiar texture of his Junes apron. “Partner?” he called, looking around curiously. His voice sounded normal too!

“Over here!” Yu responded, holding his katana up high with a smirk. “It worked.”

“Hell yeah! Thank god, am I right?” Yosuke cheered as he readied his much more natural feeling kunai. “Let’s take care of this once and for all!”

“Right!” After nodding at each other, they both rushed the enemy with newfound enthusiasm. 

Yosuke surged forward, taking a running leap at the shadow as it swung one of its limbs at him. He dodged, causing him to skitter to stay balanced for a moment before bringing up his arms and slicing at the legs of the shadow. It let out a howl as Yosuke landed in hit after hit before it finally collapsed with a loud thud. “Partner..!” he called, whipping around to look back at Yu.

“On it!” Yu shouted before holding up his blade. With a jump, he brought the full force of his weight down on the shadow’s head with a decisive slice. It let out a shriek before its body crumpled and burst into smoke that quickly dissipated. Straightening himself, Yu cracked his neck and shook out his limbs. It felt nice to be back in his own body.

“Whew, we did it!” Yosuke cheered as he too found himself stretching and getting used to being in his own body again. “Let’s never fight one of these things again. Just imagine the chaos if the others had been here…”

The image of the rest of their team switching around bodies made Yu suddenly thankful it had been only him and Yosuke involved. “I don’t want to imagine,” he answered with a shake of his head.

Yosuke chuckled, adrenaline from the fight finally wearing off. That’s when memories started to flood his mind. They were his but strangely not at the same time. Walking home the day prior, talking to Teddie, showering, going to bed. It was him doing all those things but it wasn’t  _ him.  _ He seemed to recall looking through his phone’s photos before a rather private image caught his eye and a hot wave of embarrassment and shame overcame him. He raised his eyebrows and whipped his head up to look at Yu in shock. “Y-You…! You looked through the pictures on my phone?!” he sputtered, his face flushing bright red.

“...You did too,” Yu countered, averting his gaze.

“W-Wait, so you can remember everything that happened in your body..?”

“Yes.”

“So you know I— oh. Oh no.” He felt his mind start to implode upon the realization that Yu was now aware of the things he’d done in the early hours of the morning with his body. Every last detail. “L-Look, Partner, we’re both a couple of growing boys and all that, you know how it is— it’s not like I— you— y’know?!” he blabbered, moving his hands around wildly as he spoke. “And you saw my dick too so it’s not like you’re innocent either! What— a-ah?” Yosuke was cut off as he looked up to see Yu standing there, trying to hide beneath his bangs by pulling them down and playing with his hair with cheeks dusted red.

“Sorry,” was all Yu could manage to offer.

“You’re totally not completely sorry! Y-You liked it!” Yosuke stammered. That’s right, he knew of the emotions Yu had been feeling from the moment he swapped bodies with him now. He was quite stoic on the outside, but he too was filled with emotion. Confusion, embarrassment, longing..

“You liked it too,” the silver haired teen countered quietly. “I’m sorry for invading your privacy.”

“Well… I’m no better, so…” Yosuke sighed as he twiddled his thumbs. “You like… guys, huh?” he finally managed to ask.

“That’s… well,” Yu stammered and ground the toe of his shoe into the ground. “I don’t really know. I just… know that I like you. And I’m sorry that you had to find out this way.” He cleared his throat and turned away, quite obviously embarrassed. “But I think you’ve figured that out already.”

That was true. Yosuke now had two sets of memories of everything that occurred the day prior. It was quite confusing, but he could tell that Yu had intended to keep this information to himself to not drive him away. He felt confused and overwhelmed at this revelation definitely, but he noticed he didn’t feel upset which he found strange. No, in fact, Yosuke’s stomach was full of butterflies.

“You don’t have to keep apologizing, Partner. Um..” he found himself starting to say as he walked closer to him. “Listen… I don’t understand it myself but.. it makes me happy to hear you say that. Like,  _ really  _ happy, yeah?” he squeaked out.

“Huh?” Yu blurted out, turning to look back at him in confusion. Yosuke could make out the shine of hope in his eyes that made his heart beat a mile a minute.

“Y-you make me really happy, that’s what I’m trying to say, okay? You’re… special to me.” He felt himself heat up as he uttered those words. Letting out a whine, Yosuke covered his face with his hands. “Don’t make me say embarrassing stuff like that!”

“I didn’t make you say any of that, you know,” Yu hummed, feeling better since Yosuke seemed to be just as flustered as he was. He took a step forward and took Yosuke’s wrists in his hands, pulling them away from his face so he could look at him. “It’s okay to feel this way. We’ll always be partners, no matter what.”

It was as if Yu had broken down a wall Yosuke had built and repressed so long ago that he didn’t even know it existed anymore. He found his eyes growing watery and he gave a small laugh to try and play it off. “I really don’t know how I’m feeling anymore, Yu. It’s so confusing… I can’t describe it because I’ve never felt like this before!”

“It's okay. I’m just glad you aren’t… upset, now that you know the truth. You’re my best friend first and foremost, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

“It… really worried you that much, huh?”

“...Yeah,” Yu sighed. “I don’t blame you for it though. I just figured…” he trailed off before shaking his head. “Anyway. How about we get out of here before we run into one of those shadows again?” He let go of Yosuke’s wrists, flushing a little after he realized how long he’d been holding onto them.

“Yeah… hey, Yu?” Yosuke asked.

“Yes?”

“Can you… um… kiss me?”

That question definitely caught him off guard, as he stared blankly at Yosuke for a moment before he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “What?”

“Sorry, no, forget it, that’s weird..” Yosuke murmured, silently cursing to himself. “I was thinking maybe if you did that I could see my reaction to it and maybe it would help me make sense of all this but— yeah no it’s stupid, please forget I said anythi—

He couldn’t even finish his sentence as Yu cut him off by planting his lips against his. If this would be his one chance to kiss Yosuke, he was going to take it. He could feel bad about it later, he decided. Meanwhile, the Junes Prince was rollercoastering through so many emotions that he thought his legs were going to give out. It was a chaste kiss, Yu pulling away a moment after with an apologetic look on his face. The fact that Yosuke immediately missed that warmth told him all he needed to know.

“Sorry to cut you off.”

“...God dammit.”

“Hm?”

“Can you kiss me again? I just uh, want to be sure.”

This warranted a small chuckle from Yu, who nodded. “As many times as you need me to.”

“T-Thanks, Partner.”

Perhaps Yosuke had a shadow he needed to thank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I promise I’ll go work on my other fics now; I suffer from a disease called “stupid bitch syndrome”


End file.
